U.S. officials reinforce Trump support for two-state solution

The letter calls on either the president to withdraw the nomination or the Senate to reject Friedman's bid if Trump is unwilling to take such an action. Friedman is Trump's longtime lawyer and was a key surrogate to the Jewish community during the campaign. In the past, he has criticized liberal Jewish groups, and for that, he had to apologize today. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports. Those remarks include a description of J Street supporters as "kapos", and leaders of the Anti-Defamation League as "morons". They also shook groggers, traditional Jewish noisemakers that are used to symbolically drown out the names of people who seek the destruction of Jews.

Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland, ranking Democrat on the committee, said he was especially distraught over Friedman's characterization of Sen.

DAVID FRIEDMAN: There is no excuse. "If you want me to rationalize it or justify it, I can not". "These were hurtful words and I deeply regret them". They're not reflective of my nature or my character. "If you want me to rationalize it or justify it, I can not", Friedman said in response to questioning from ranking member Ben Cardin.

KELEMEN: They say they oppose the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories and called Friedman a racist who funds illegal settlements.

"My grandfather was exiled", the man said before being escorted out of the room.

Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted a hearing held by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday to declare US President Trump's pick David Friedman as the new US Ambassador to Israel. During a joint news conference on Wednesday, Trump said he would be open to a Mideast peace agreement that doesn't include separate states for Israel and the Palestinians, abandoning a USA position that has underpinned more than a decade of failed negotiations between the two sides.

In a letter sent to members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the former diplomats said that Friedman has staked out "extreme, radical positions" and has derided the two-state solution as an "illusory" fix for a non-existent problem. Five former USA ambassadors to Israel signed an open letter condemning his nomination, warning of his "extreme positions".

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Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., called Friedman "profoundly unfit" to serve based on his history of "offensive, inflammatory and insulting rhetoric".

TOM UDALL: If we confirm him, we are running a risky risk that Mr. Friedman will inflame a volatile situation and inflame other foreign governments in the region. We need a steady hand in the Middle East, not a bomb thrower in a position of high power and responsibility.

During his confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill, Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey asked the nominees for the Israeli Ambassadorship what he sees as an alternative solution to the conflict.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) acknowledged that Friedman has said things he did not agree with but said he backed the nominee as qualified, experienced and passionate.

Democrats indeed directed their focus on Friedman's firebrand rhetoric, including describing Bill Clinton as "more unsafe to the interests of Israel than any president since Eisenhower" and arguing the Obama administration was more interested in fighting Republicans than terrorists.

Ramirez is reportedly challenging his detention in federal court, saying his constitutional rights have been violated. Ramirez Medina was processed in Seattle and sent to a detention center in Tacoma, Washington where he remains.

They say Canada's oil sands, which produce a thick crude oil with a heavy carbon footprint, should stay in the ground. The fate of the Keystone XL oil pipeline once again rests with a Nebraska commission.

In fact, it represents a painful and historic Palestinian compromise of recognizing Israel over 78 percent of historic Palestine. A senior Palestinian official denounced the White House comment on Wednesday, saying it was irresponsible.

Spread on social media and messaging apps, the informal though growing campaign aims to make Thursday a "day without immigrants ". Some business owners said they needed to stay in business and would try to stay open even if employees did not show up.

Duterte denied the allegations of the Senator and branded it as "old" and "rehashed", Xinhua news agency reported. However, the senator did not mention what action he would take if the president ignored the request.

It has been written by Love Actually's director Richard Curtis , who was on set on Thursday when filming kicked off. The last time we saw Sam, he was an adorable young blondie who had just gotten the ideal first kiss in an airport.

He will say there has been no "real discussion as to why and when Brexit doesn't affect the immigration people most care about". But pro-leave campaigners last night slammed Blair, saying he is trying to get back into politics by lying to the public.

Kennedy was arrested early the morning of December 28 following a fight with another man outside of Bootsy Bellows nightclub. A police officer already at the scene on another matter saw Kennedy pull the man to the ground.

Three members of the one family have died following an incident on a rural property in the state's Southern Tablelands overnight. Emergency service personnel worked long into the night attempting to pull the victims' bodies from the well.

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